Protecting your identity

Why do you need a secure password?
Because as a Concordia student, faculty, or staff, you have accounts on several university systems. Even though these accounts are password-protected, choosing a secure password is the first step to protecting yourself and your information against any kind of security threat.

For example, the netname password has the following criteria:
· Your password must be 12-16 characters in length
· Your password must include at least one lower case letter, one upper case letter, one special character (e.g. !, @, # or %) and one number.

The following are additional password tips for keeping your information safe:

• Change your password every three to six months and avoid using repeat passwords. If you wish to change your netname password now, visit the Password reset page now.
• Avoid using dictionary words, names of people, names of places, phone numbers, and birthdates. Information hackers have created software to guess passwords and these are the most commonly guessed. Your username, the word 'Password', or 123456 are also easy targets.
• Always keep your password a secret. Don't share it, and don't write it down where it may be found.
• If an application prompts you to save your password, select 'no'. Anyone with access to your computer could very easily log into an account as you.
• Use a password for your Concordia accounts that is different from your other accounts (i.e. online banking and social media). It is best to choose a different password for each account.
• Choose a phrase for creating a password that is easy to remember and has special meaning for you.

What are phishing emails?
Phishing emails seek to trick users into providing confidential information such as personal data or financial information. Some try to get you to take the bait by offering deals or rewards or pretending to be a trusted source like a bank, Concordia, an employer or well-known business. They may seek to lure you on to a fraudulent site or to click links or attachments.

What can I do about them?

• Hover over a sender’s email address with a cursor. It can reveal inconsistencies with the name of the sender.
• Think twice about opening emails with a generic greeting, rather than your name.
• Only open emails from trusted senders.
• Don’t click on links or attachments unless you’re expecting them.
• If you’re contacted by a company with which you don’t do business, consider that the email may be phishing or spam.
• Watch for mistakes in titles or content.
• Report suspicious emails to the Service Desk and then delete them.

What are viruses?
Viruses or malware are files or bits of code that can have a detrimental effect on your computer. They are often sent via email as an attachment with file types such as .exe, .zip and others.

What can I do about it?
Never open any attachments from unknown sources or even from trusted sources with unknown file extensions. Delete suspicious emails and do not open the attachments.

If you have opened any attachments from this type of email, change your netname password, manually prompt Sentinel One to scan your computer, and contact the Service Desk at 514-848-2424 ext. 7613 or via webform.
 

What is spam?
Spam is any unsolicited commercial email. Spammers send out these messages to get you to see their advertising and promote their business or product. They send the messages to thousands of people, slowing down the network and causing headaches for the user. Concordia's email filters can catch and block the majority of spam, but unfortunately, it is not possible to block all spam without also blocking some legitimate emails.

What can I do about it?
Delete or filter unsolicited email, bulk email, or unwanted email without opening or replying to it. Never provide your email address to the sites from which you do not wish to receive mail and never post your email address on public forums.
 

Concordia has purchased Sentinel One Anti-Virus, which is proven to deliver superior and proactive protection to safeguard our university's IT environments. Learn more about Sentinel One.

What is Sentinel One?
Sentinel One Anti-Virus is a program that runs in the background of the operating system to protect your computer from malicious software and viruses. There are many ways Sentinel One helps protect your computer:

• Whether you're using your computer to browse the Internet, edit documents, or send email, Sentinel One will automatically scan all files for viruses before any actions are taken. For example, if you attempt to open a document that contains malicious software, Sentinel One will prevent it from opening and warn you of the possible threat.
• It runs numerous scans for viruses and malicious software throughout the week. 
• It's controlled and monitored centrally by IITS. As a result, clients receive proper monitoring and their virus definitions remain up-to-date at all times. If any problems occur, they are easy to diagnose and resolved in a timely manner.

How do I install Sentinel One?
Learn how active faculty and staff can get Sentinel One.
Please note: Computers acquired through the Concordia standard computer purchase program will have Sentinel One installed on them at the time of initial setup by Concordia technicians.

Tips on the Sentinel One Anti-Virus interface:

• Once Sentinel One has been installed on your computer, you will notice a blue shield in the toolbar.
• Right click on the blue shield and select Open Sentinel One Anti-Virus if you wish to view the main control panel.
• When Sentinel One is not working correctly, the blue shield will turn grey and will display a red X.
• Scans will take place automatically, but users may also manually start a scan from within the control panel. 

Please visit SentinelOne Page for more details on how Concordia computers are protected by SentinelOne.  

For personal computers, there are many security products on the market to protect personal devices on Windows and MacOS machines such as BitDefender, Kaspersky, or Sentinel One.